


Galaxy Lovers 100%

by Mythril (fantacination)



Series: Sheith Otome Game [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Happy Birthday Keith!, I don't remember why I thought this was a good idea, I'm so sorry, Is it really poly if they're all the same person, M/M, Rating for inappropriate comments and swearing, That I promised a long long time ago, The Sheith Otome Game Where Keith's Every Love Interest is Shiro, but uh, choice is an illusion, keith is totally fine with this, potential polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 11:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16387115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fantacination/pseuds/Mythril
Summary: Keith's transfer to a new school takes a decidedly strange turn.“Are you alright? You shouldn’t run in the halls,” a strangely familiar voice said.He looked up and blinked. That wasn’t a teacher. “Takashi? Why’d you change clothes? And what’s with the hair?” Less than a minute ago, his hair had been black, dark all around even where it was trimmed short against his scalp. Now, the little tuft in front had gone a silvery hue that was at odds with his young face.“My name is Shiro.” Shiro offered a cool, gloved hand to help him up, but there was a distance in his gaze that Takashi hadn’t had. “You must be thinking of someone else.”





	Galaxy Lovers 100%

Keith was falling.

He struggled against it at first, trying to open his eyes, limbs dragging against the gravity that sought to pin him down- or was it up? He couldn’t tell. His teeth were clenched so tight it made his jaw ache. The darkness pulled at his body like it wanted to pull him apart.

His heart was racing, beating against his chest, dark starlight winked at at the corners of his closed eyes. 

And in place of the panic, he started to feel inexplicably calm. 

It was alright. The most important thing was-- 

He woke up.  

The dense fog of sleep clung to Keith’s body even more fiercely than the gravity in that swiftly-fragmenting dream. 

The cheerful morning sunshine pierced through the curtains he’d carelessly left open last night, shafts of it burning across his face. He batted at it blearily, a vague panic seizing in his heart leftover from the dream.  

The heat and his phone, ringing shrilly by his pillow, eventually drilled through his senses. His hand swung at the phone, turning the display on.

Eight thirty-six. Wednesday. 

For a few seconds, the information didn’t really mean anything. Then, it did. 

Wednesday was a  _ school day _ . 

Keith jumped out of bed, throwing the covers off. Great. First day at a new school and he was guaranteed to stick out already. 

The cold of the floor jarred him into looking for his boots- no, shoes. Soft black leather school shoes, newly bought just last week. It was a private school, this time, after all. 

Shoving his arms into the stiff new uniform, Keith nearly stumbled over getting his shoes on. His hair was a mess and he inwardly winced at the scolding he’d probably get when his older brother got back home. He ran his fingers through it a few times as he slung a weathered messenger bag over a shoulder. It wouldn’t be  _ neat,  _ exactly, but it got the job mostly done. With a quick check in the keybox for his lunch money, he walked out the door. 

Outside, the street was already bustling with people- some looked like students, though he wasn’t sure what school they went to, and a few harried office workers were clutching their briefcases as they looked at the time. 

Keith headed decisively down the street, lightly jogging. He could see the dark gray roof of the school building rising slightly above the taller trees that shaded the neighborhood’s yards.

The only good thing about transferring to this school was how close it was to the new house. He might still be able to make it if he ran and took a couple of shortcuts. The neighbors might not appreciate that, though.

Keith barely turned the corner before he bumped into someone, bouncing off and sprawling on the ground.

“Whoa, there!” 

A guy, about his age, but far larger, bent over him, hands on knees. “Are you okay?” the stranger asked. He was wearing their school uniform. The neat navy blue blazer set and white shirt looked far better on his broad frame. He even had his tie on properly, making Keith self-conscious about the chilly lack of it around his own neck. It hadn’t been worth the time so he’d stuffed the tie into a pocket. The other boy had a bike and strange hair- short all around except for a scrappy little tuft in front that bobbed with the light breeze. 

Keith rubbed at his nose, automatically sizing him up. He was tall, but he looked friendly rather than threatening. His chances of getting to school without a bloody nose were looking up. 

“I’m fine, just in a hurry.” Keith shrugged and got up, ignoring the hand he was offered.

“Oh- you’re--” his eyes dropped to Keith’s torso, registering the same thing Keith had. “How about I give you a ride?”

Keith blinked, looking uncertainly at the bike behind this guy. It was sturdy, enough to support the boy’s obvious muscle, but it clearly only seated one. “On that?”

“Sure, you just have to stand here.” He pointed at the axle. “Oh, and hold on to me.” 

Keith paused. Was he desperate enough to look like an idiot? 

Probably.

“Okay.” 

“I’m Takashi, by the way,” he said, and glanced behind Keith and grinned. “You’re our new neighbor! We were wondering who moved in. Welcome to the neighborhood!”

“Thanks,” Keith said, blinking at how anyone could be so sunny in the morning. “Do you uh, do you think we can get to school on time?”

Takashi laughed. “Sure. Hold on.” 

Keith did. He’d barely closed his hands around those warm, broad shoulders before they were off.

They did manage to get to school on time, but it was a near thing. 

“See you later, Keith,” Takashi said cheerfully as he parked the bike. “I have soccer after school, but I can give you a ride back, too, if you stay later than usual.”

Keith shook his head, massaging some feeling back into his fingers. He liked speed and he liked the thrill of the wind threatening to pull him off the bike, but he was planning on heading straight home after school. “Thanks, but I’ll have to pass for today.”

“Sure, offer’s open anytime,” Takashi smiled warmly, like Keith would be doing him a favor. 

Confused and too awkward for a graceful departure, Keith left first, sprinting inside the school as he heard the warning bell chime. Most of the students seemed to have gone into their respective classrooms already- the lobby and corridors empty. He barely jammed his feet into the soft white indoor shoes before he was running again, hoping he could slip into class. 

Too late, he noticed that the floor had been polished to a mirror sheen and his foot slipped despite all efforts to right himself, sending him skidding down the hallway. 

If he kept going, he was going to run into what looked suspiciously like a teacher. 

Gritting his teeth, Keith braced himself and shifted his weight down, forcing himself to stop by falling over. His rump landed roughly, but it wasn’t as bad as he it could’ve been considering his momentum.  

“Are you alright? You shouldn’t run in the halls,” a strangely familiar voice said. 

He looked up and blinked.  _ That _ wasn’t a teacher. “Takashi? Why’d you change clothes? And what’s with the hair?” Less than a minute ago, his hair had been black, dark all around even where it was trimmed short against his scalp. Now, the little tuft in front had gone a silvery hue that was at odds with his young face.

“My name is Shiro.” Shiro offered a cool, gloved hand to help him up, but there was a distance in his gaze that Takashi hadn’t had. “You must be thinking of someone else.” 

“...But you--” look exactly like him. Except for the clothes. Shiro had swapped in Takashi’s neatly tucked uniform for a double breasted black coat edged in gold piping, a braided cord hanging from one shoulder. Coupled with the dark gloves and the faint pink scar across his nose, it was a decidedly severe look. His dark gray eyes were solemn under the snow-white fringe of hair and he kept his right hand tucked against his body.  

“You’re late for class,” Shiro reminded as he stared. “You shouldn’t be late on your first day.” He paused, then looked at the cleared out hallway. 

“In fact, how about I take you there? We’re heading the same way and your homeroom teacher is sick, I was just about to tell the class.” 

“Okay... “ Keith trailed off. “...How do you know whos my homeroom teacher?” How did ‘Shiro’ know who he was? 

“It’s not a big school,” Shiro said, his voice was soft, but without any of Takashi’s warmth. “And I  _ am _ the head of the disciplinary committee. The teachers entrust me with a lot of things.” 

Was that why he had such strange clothes? He’d thought the whole point of having to put on a uniform was to be, well,  _ uniform _ .

Keith followed him through three short corridors towards the classroom, uneasy. Shiro didn’t offer anything else, either, simply opening the door for him.

“Here we are. This is Class 5.”

The rowdy noise of chattering students abruptly hushed as they entered and Keith, much to his chagrin, had to introduce himself. It was a small class, only about fifteen students, maybe less, which explained the section number. Several chairs were unoccupied towards the back window, but there didn’t seem to be any particular seating plan, so he headed towards them.  

He was just about to take his seat when the door banged open, admitting another student. 

Keith looked up, wondering who could possibly have worse luck than he did. 

Then, he stopped. 

The latecomer, standing at the door looked  _ exactly _ like Shiro, down to the pink scar. Except while Shiro was the picture of military neatness, the new student was slovenly. His jacket hung off his shoulders and his shirt was half-open and wrinkled. He looked like he’d just gotten out of bed, his hair a lazy, tousled mess. But everything about him looked deliberate. He glared back at Shiro, his eyes a startling gold. 

“What the hell,” the boy sneered at Shiro. “Shouldn’t you be in first class like a good boy?” 

“Kuro. I could say the same about you,” Shiro said, lips pursing slightly. “Were you hiding out in the infirmary again?” 

“So what, you’re going to punish me for going?” The boy grunted. 

Keith struggled to take in the tableau. Two people coincidentally sharing the same face was one thing, but  _ three _ ? 

Nobody else in the class seemed to think anything of it- were they twins? Triplets? Fraternal? No, even if they were identical, having the exact same scar was nearly impossible. 

Shiro sighed. “If you skip another class, you’re going to get held back again.” 

Kuro shrugged and gestured something obscene as he slouched past Shiro and into the seat behind Keith. 

Shiro watched him for a moment, then turned his eyes back to the rest of the class. “As I was saying, Professor Ryu won’t be able to make it today, so all of you can start the next class early and head to the gym for P.E. There’s still the time left for homeroom, but I wouldn’t keep Iverson waiting if I were you.” 

Soft murmurs sprang up at that and Shiro left, mostly from the girl’s side of the class.

“I wish I’d said something,” the girl next to Keith sighed. 

“Maybe I should join the disciplinary committee.”

“You and what grades?”

Keith frowned. It looked like Shiro was popular. He was certainly handsome- Keith wasn’t blind. And he didn’t seem unkind, just a little remote. On the other hand, he could sense people giving Kuro a wide berth. It  was clear why none of the other seats around him were taken. Had Kuro scared them off?

He glanced back, accidentally meeting sharp gold eyes, half-lidded as though still sleepy. Kuro, it seemed, wasn’t interested in whatever the rest of the class was up to. He slouched in his seat, hands in his pants pockets.

Keith pulled up his bag to get his gym clothes out. As the girls and boys separated to get changed, Kuro finally stirred, like a lion that had been basking in the sun.  

“Hey, new kid,” Kuro rumbled, “what are you looking at?” 

“Nothing,” Keith said quickly, averting his gaze. The other boys were already finishing up, so he found an empty corner of the classroom to strip off his uniform, folding them neatly. 

“Prissy, aren’t you?” Kuro remarked, following him and crowding him against the corner. 

Keith glanced around- the others were pretending not to notice. Some things were the same no matter what school you went to. 

“I don’t want any trouble,” Keith said, ignoring Kuro’s shadow over him to continue unbuttoning his shirt.

Kuro grinned, a wild slash of teeth, and pinned him roughly by his throat to the wall. 

Keith choked and kicked out, managing to plant his foot against his ribs.  Kuro’s arm shot out to grab his thigh as they fell and Keith rolled up to take a swing. Just because he was trying to be on his best behavior didn’t mean he was going to let someone walk all over him. 

Kuro caught his fist forcing his arms back and bending Keith over one of the desks. The room was empty, now, he noticed obliquely, leaving him and Kuro alone. 

“Now that I take a closer look, aren’t you pretty?” Kuro purred, stroking his face mockingly. “I bet you sound pretty with a dick up your ass, too.”  

“If you’re going to talk shit like that why don’t you go hunt down that twin of yours instead?” Keith challenged. 

“My twin? What the fuck are you talking about?” 

Did… did they really not notice it??

Keith’s eyes narrowed into slits, then he jerked up and slammed his forehead straight into Kuro’s nose. 

“You  _ little shit _ ,” Kuro hissed. His nose bled, dribbling onto Keith’s shirt. “I’m going to fucking  _ end  _ you.”

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Keith brought his knees up, using the force as a spring to jackknife his feet into Kuro, throwing him off him. 

He didn’t stick around for him to recover. Grabbing his bag and uniform, Keith fled. 

He couldn’t exactly show up to class covered in blood. Even if-- or maybe especially when-- it wasn’t his. Wandering around in the hallway covered in blood wasn’t a great option, either. He settled for looking for a bathroom to clean up. There had to be one on this floor, right? 

The school didn’t have windows facing into the classrooms, so all he had to do was sneak past the doors. The soft murmur of ongoing classes was almost eerie in the deserted hallways. He wondered, for a few minutes, if anyone would notice if he just went home. The temptation to quit was strong- but he was supposed to be trying, now. 

Lucky for him, it didn’t seem like the disciplinary committee was on-duty while classes were in session and there didn’t seem to be anyone around to catch him.

He’d walked a few corridors down without seeing any sign of a bathroom, finally ending up in front of a set of double steel doors, not unlike what you’d see at a hospital emergency room. 

“May I help you?” 

Keith turned his head.

“My god, what happened to your  _ face _ ?” 

“Uh,” Keith said, his rehearsed lie dying on his lips. 

Right in front of him was the  _ fourth _ person with the same face he’d met in this school. This time, he was more haggard, stubble lining his jaw and noticeably much older. His hair was also much longer than all the others, tied back into a loose ponytail. He was wearing a doctor’s coat over a henley with a surprisingly deep neckline, showing off strong clavicles and a hint more. On a woman, it would have been almost inappropriate. A pair of folded glasses rested on the v. The name tag clipped to the coat only said: “Dr. K”. 

“Come with me,” the doctor said briskly, leading Keith into the clinic. 

He made Keith sit on one of the beds, handing him a damp towel to clean up with. 

“What happened?” 

Keith hesitated. He might be a doctor, but he was pretty sure they were still obligated to report students who fought. “I hit my head on a door,” he said instead. A really big, heavy, and possibly horny door. Then again, he doubted Kuro had actually wanted anything from him but to see his fear. That spiel had felt rehearsed, a well-worn script. 

The doctor didn’t seem convinced. “And where did the blood come from?”

“My… head?” Keith tried, as though he could magically make a head wound appear. 

The man sighed. “You need to get a lot better at lying before you try that. Or fighting. Then again, I suppose that isn’t really a bad thing.” He checked Keith over, large hands brushing back the unruly black hair that hung over his face. Keith tensed, but the hands pulled back, as though understanding. 

“Looks like you’re fine, nothing but a few bruises. Since it’s your first day, I’ll write you a note for your next class, but if I catch you fighting again I’ll let the principal know.” The man’s brow furrowed, attempting to look stern.

“Got it,” Keith said, contrite. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Keith.”

“Keith, is it? You can call me Dr. Kuron. All the other students do.” He smiled, making his tired face seem a little younger. He tucked a falling wisp of hair behind an ear, the motion oddly enthralling. “And here. A present, for your first day.” 

He pressed something into Keith’s hands. Keith stared blankly as he uncurled his fingers around a round, bright red lollipop. The stick had been tied with a tiny silk bow.

“Not a fan of sweets?”

“I like them,” Keith admitted, quickly tucking the candy into a pocket. He was just having-- A very strange day. Two good people. Maybe three. That was a decent start, right? Even if they all had the same face. Obviously the people here had gotten used to it. 

“Thanks,” he said, belatedly, feeling his cheeks heat up. 

“You’re welcome, anytime,” the doctor said gently, smiling. “The bed has a curtain, you can go get changed in there.” 

Keith nodded, eager to escape the situation, and changed properly into his gym clothes. 

When he got back out, the doctor was bent over some files, waving him off with a friendly smile. He left feeling a little dazed but much calmer for the visit. Maybe things would turn out okay. 

Kuro, he noticed, once math period started, was nowhere to be found. His classmates avoided his gaze, so he sat down as though nothing had happened and dutifully took down the notes Professor Holt was writing down for them to copy.

The rest of the day was blessedly quiet and normal. Keith didn’t exactly make any new friends, except for maybe Takashi, but that was fine. He wasn’t really a people person. All he had to do was get through school and graduate peacefully. 

He’d even gotten used to the idea that there were four nearly identical people in the school that nobody seemed to realize looked the same. It was probably just one of things you accepted when you grew up with the same people for ten years.

He scratched a stray cat under her chin on the way home, waving vaguely when he saw Takashi, sweaty from practice, shouting something unintelligible at him through a fence. 

“I’m home,” Keith called out into the house, toeing off his shoes and nearly too exhausted to line them up properly. 

“Welcome home,” his brother’s measured voice came from the kitchen. So he was back already. The thought lifted Keith’s mood a bit. “How was the new school?” 

“Tiring.” Keith peeked into the room, coming up behind the tall figure at the counter to see what he was doing. “That looks like curry.” 

“It is,” his brother agreed, bumping his hip against Keith to shoo him away. “I thought you might like the treat.” 

Keith smiled. “I sure can, after today.” 

“Oh? That hard, was it?” Slender fingers slid the chopped ingredients into a boiling pot before covering it and turning towards Keith. 

“Why don’t you tell me all about it?” Lotor smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry. I hope somebody out there enjoys this regardless. :') 
> 
> Based on [this post from yoinks ago](https://pepperpaprika.tumblr.com/post/164444295207/au-where). There have been changes since then, though, and this... kinda wasn't what I expected, either.
> 
> This piece has actually been kicking around my google drive since ye olde S5, so I was gratified by the new Garrison uniforms when they showed up and it had the same color scheme i wanted for Shiro. I touched it up a bit, and it's fairly rushed, still, but as is common with otome games, I have to introduce everyone to our hero's romantic options as soon as possible so he can get started on their routes and making them fall for him. Mostly accidentally.
> 
> If I continue this, it will neccessarily be True Ending Route (which is also likely to be the harem route), and of course, like all good otome games, there _must_ be a conspiracy, but I kind of wanted to hit most of the lighthearted notes in the original post. It's just that there's also some groundwork to lay out. :/a
> 
> This is altogether much more sober than I wanted for Keith's birthday, I will be posting a separate short AU epilogue fluff in about 12 hours that's much more thematic. Because all I really wanted for Keith's birthday is to give him all the dang Shiros he wants. I'm just posting this up first since it probably won't make much sense without it. :')


End file.
